My tire light comes on a lot but i read that it usually means that there is a mechanical malfunction and will reset itself eventually or because my gas cap isn't turend right as far as it is supposed to be.

 

You could carry a mini air pump and a tire repair kit
with wire cutters and tire plug kit and repair your
tire or tires right on the car..
I have done this for years and just did it for a
saleman that just come into our work and was amazed.

Just another way if you go without run flat tires.

Good Luck...Joe in NJ

 

Ha thanks, thats a great tip... umm... what do i need the wire cutters for? I've never really had to deal with anything about tires...

 

The reason folks might say not to mix tires front to rear relates to traction characteristics.

I was under the impression run flats might be slightly less sticky on average... can't say I know for sure but a stiffer sidewalk might have an effect on making that tire grip less...

If the set of tires up front 'stick better' than those out back, the fear is that some drivers in some conditions will find the back end of their car coming around when they least expect it... in a case of differing traction capability, conventional wisdom suggests the less-sticky set go up front to prevent such surprises.

I could easily believe DSC or other stability system might go towards keeping that behavior reduced however.

(btw this sounds like marketing speak but it's why tire rack etc say 4 snows in the winter)

cheers
julie

 

Just an FYI...
Tread wear numbers, traction and temperature ratings are industry numbers that cannot (and should not) be compared across different manufacturers and brands.

These are only for use when comparing one "brand X" model to another "brand X" model.....

 

A stiffer and less sticky tire in the back will combine to add oversteer. DSC may save you if that oversteer becomes terminal (i.e. the car tries to swap ends) but it won't reduce the tendency.
Oversteer is NOT a good thing, especially if you're used to FWD cars and have rarely/never experienced it.


Wire cutters would be to cut off the excess plug that ends up sticking out of the tire.

The mustang friends are doing you no favor. Match the front tires, and sell the used rears to offset the cost of new ones.

 

I have 215/45 17 Toyo Proxes on mine. I have the 17" white S-lite wheels.... everything works fine with this setup.

 

I replaced the stock runflats with Falken ZE912 (215/45/17) and the improvement is enormous. Much better handling, quieter, no hydroplaning ...and they are cheap!

Dean.

 

Thanks everybody in this thread as well as the bubble thread. I finally got rid of the runflats and got the Kumho AST tires (215/40-17). It's definitely quieter and smoother. Awesome.

I paid $430 installed from Discount Tire (with lifetime balancing/rotating). Basically $99 per tire plus tax. Hope that was a decent price.

 

Dean:
so do you have a 2006 S? how's the Falkens so far? Do you experience rubbing issues on the 215/45/R17? I am thinking of changing my runflats. I think 215/45/R17 will get better gas mileage as opposed to 215/40/ R17.

 

I would go the plug option vice the fix-a-flat or Slime. I used the fix-a-flat several years ago. It did not get properly dispersed so every time I got up to about 45mph the car would start shaking like crazy. Also, make sure to tell the mechanic that you used it - my service guy said that a lot of people don't tell them and apparently it can be quite a nasty surprise when they take the tire off. I ended having to get a new tire anyway and the goop had to cleaned off of everything ... with the plug, they can just take off the tire, patch the inside and it should be good for the life of the tire. This is also true of run flats as long as you don't run on them flat too long. If you can't plug it, then the goop probably won't work either.

What I like about the run flats is that if you do get a flat, you don't lose control all of sudden and you have a chance to get to a safer location. Don't drive too far though or you could compromise the sidewalls requiring a very expensive replacement.

 

I found that the move to 215/45 ZR17 Pirelli's made my speedometer dead accurate as it was way off with the stock tires.

Rich

 

I have 215/40 17" on mine, and I see that it's a little off (speedometer shows higher than actual speed). Next time I change, I'm getting the 215/45 tires like you.